'Inglorious Basterds' Movie Review

First and foremost, I have a confession to make.

Before seeing Inglorious Basterds, I had never seen a Quentin Tarentino film.

But I must say, here is yet another real summer gem. Tarentino's latest grotesque dramady follows several different story lines which intertwine and then smash together in a terrific cresendo.

Story line 1: Lt. Aldo Raine leads a small band of Jewish-American soldiers into France. The group is disguised as civilians but are on a mission to do "one thing and one thing only....killing Nazis." Leaving a trail of dismembered and disemboweled german bodies in their wake, word of the guerilla-style killers spreads quickly through the German Ranks, striking fear into all (Well, almost all. Those who are brave enough to die for their country....well, do just that).

Story line 2: Introduced at the very beginning of the movie is german gestapo officer Col. Hans Landa, chillingly and masterfully played here by Christoph Walz. Landa is very clearly recognized as the villain in the picture during the first scene of the film (and possibly the best scene of the movie. Let's just say Landa's 15 min interrogation of a French farmer suspected of hiding Jews makes you feel just a tad or more so uncomfortable; as if you yourself are hiding for your life.)

Story line 3: A young French girl, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) is the only remaining survivor after her family is massacred by the Germans. She runs a cinema and quickly catches the eye of Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl), a german war hero turned movie star by his rising celebrity. Through Zoller's nagging and persistent pursuit of Shosanna, the massive German film Premiere of Zoller's film (attended by all of the top members of the Third Reich) gets a convenient venue switch to Shosanna's much smaller theatre, making the event more exclusive.

Told throughout several literal titled chapters, the film is divided into several sections, each paying tribute to a slightly different film style, a dynamic I found to be very interesting and effective.

Without giving too much away, the three story lines quickly and masterfully intertwine in a complicated yet intriguing tangle of suspense, mystery and dark comedy and eventually ends with a...well....bang. Although Tarentino actually changes the end of WWII drastically in the end, something you would expect to frown upon, one leaves the theatre with a certain smug and almost comedic satisfaction, almost wishing the story were true.

Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.

Running time 152 minutes.